First Weekend Project: Studio Organization
Moving into a new house and working on multiple concurrent projects has left my studio in disastrous disarray. First order of business is organizing left-over material and scraps from various jobs into opportunities for new uses. And clearing away enough workspace for the next weekend project.
Here are a few tips for getting organized for the New Year:
1) Group like objects together. Instead of pushing things from pile to pile, group like objects together as much as possible. Through this simple process, I discovered that I have over 20 Sharpie markers. Yet I never seem to be able to find one when I need it. Now I know where to find them all.
2) Simplify, reduce and recycle. Keep only what you need. Craigslist and Ebay provide good opportunities to find new homes for extra tools and odd items. It can also provide some extra cash.
3) Re-purpose. Try to avoid sending anything unnecessarily into our landfills. Is there another unexpected use for something?
4) Focus. Make sure you budget enough time for set-up and break down after each job. It’s all too easy to move into the next project before everything finds its way back to its proper place. And that’s makes finding it the next time you need it all the more difficult and consumes additional valuable time.
5) Put things where you look for them. If you think a Phillips screw driver might be in a particular drawer and it isn’t, maybe that should be where you keep it in future.
6) Prioritize. Put the most time into those organizational projects that will have the most impact. Sorting nails and screws might be satisfying but won’t necessarily result in the best improvement to your workflow.
